At the turn of the 20th century, two of the most important coal companies in the New River field were the McKell Coal & Coke Company and the New River Company. Thomas McKell's company was organized in 1893 to lease coal lands to operating companies, but by 1900 it opened its own operations. At the Kilsyth mine beside Mt. Hope, McKell built a company town named for the mine, with a large company store and theater, a powerhouse for the town and mining operations, and shops for its short-line railway. In 1939, McKell's properties were sold to the New River Company. The New River Company had the greatest impact on the development of Mt. Hope. It was founded by Samuel Dixon, who came to West Virginia from Shelton, Yorkshire, England, in 1877 and became general manager of the MacDonald Colliery Company at MacDonald in 1893. After expanding that company successfully, he formed the White Oak Coal Company to market and sell coal from mines he owned. In 1905 he joined with investors to form the New River Fuel Company, renamed the New River Company the following year. By 1907, its holdings included 22 mining operations, 19 store buildings, 53 officials' houses, 1666 miners' houses, 605 horses and mules, 26 tipples, 3433 mine cars, 389 coke ovens, 57 mining machines, and 5 saw mills, along with extensive coal properties totaling 25,300 acres. These properties formed an almost unbroken coal area for more than thirty-five miles along the main trough of the New River coal seam, from north of Fayetteville to fifteen miles south of Beckley. During the following decade, the company continued to grow, sinking new shafts to depths of more than five hundred feet to reach the New River group coals, which thickened from three to four feet to as much as five feet under the plateau. From its beginning, the New River Company was known for taking care of its employees. Samuel Dixon aimed to build houses better than the standards of the time and to include entertainment centers, churches, schools, and playgrounds, while also promoting wholesome activities for miners and their families outside work. Reflecting the paternalism common among mine managers of the period, Dixon regarded employees as part of the company's family, and under his leadership the New River Company was reported to be the first to provide medical services for its employees.